World leaders play a significant role in the lives of many individuals as specific traits and experiences can help people become stronger and cope with problems easily. I will discuss the leadership style of Walt Disney as this figure built my childhood, and as an adult, I became more interested in this person’s success. Disney is the creator of one of the most popular entertainment companies, where the level of teamwork is incredible, and every worker understands their tasks to achieve objectives. Walt Disney built stability in the operational flow, and his leadership style can be considered as effective as clarity in vision, innovative thinking, and attention to detail allowed him to achieve all set goals and aim for more. The leader faced many challenges, but personal strength and desires did not break him on the way to making Disney company more successful.
Walt Disney demonstrated a variety of traits that are common to an effective leader. For example, the figure’s creativity played a crucial role in the development of the business as innovative and unique ideas allowed him to take risks and step out of his comfort zone (Yie, 2021). In most cases, the risk-taking was effectively causing more popularity to the leader and his company. Moreover, Yie (2021) stated that Disney had a trait to maintain emotional intelligence and find the right approach to people of different backgrounds and social statuses. The figure could build and maintain stable relationships with the team and stop the development of hierarchy in communication.
Disney was an untypical leader during the development of corporation, but some regulations followed the basics of management. In these principles, diversity could enhance creativity, image, outreach, and morale (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Walt Disney aimed to change how people communicate in the company, and his style was transformational (Howard et al., 2019). Social systems had to be changed, and Disney aimed to make positive and valuable improvements.
Walt Disney faced many leadership issues where problems prevented them from performing better. For instance, during the launch of the first animated film in the 1930s, some financial risks occurred, and the whole project was on the brink of bankruptcy (Walt Disney Animation Studios, n. d.). However, with the use of the situational leadership model, the owner managed to cope with the problems. Disney started delegating the team and ensuring everyone that financial problems should not be a barrier and the performance of Snow White and Seven Dwarfs should take place. He participated in each department and put his heart and soul into the project. The creator’s passion fascinated the viewers, and the film was told to the public with great success. This example shows that the leader did not give up when more problems appeared his way, and this experience motivated me to complete my tasks.
I always participate in group work as they develop diverse skills like communication, problem-solving, and working under stressful conditions. I was taking many leadership positions and discovered that participative leadership is close to my personality as I like participating in discussions and participating equally in the group. Delegation of responsibilities is important, but it is crucial to ensure that every person understands the duties of their colleagues and can help in urgent situations. This style is effective for me as I can take on different roles and gain diverse experience while producing group projects. Moreover, by taking a leadership position, I stay more motivated for further personal development.
References
Howard, T. L., Ulferts, G. W., & Hannon, J. (2019). Leadership styles of small business owners: Linking theory to application. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 16(2), 47-55. Web.
Lumen Learning (n. d.) Principles of Management. OER services. Web.
Walt Disney Animation Studios (n. d.). Feature films. Walt Disney Animation Studios. Web.
Yie, C. E. (2021). In the study of leadership and change management of Walt Disney: Linking theory to application. The International Journal of Business & Management, 9(8). Web.